Christian Perspective of Salvation

I was wondering if Christians think that Heaven is for Christians only? Are there different views of salvation proposed in Christianity? What will happen to those that are not Christians and/or without the gospel?

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1. I was wondering if Christians think that Heaven is for Christians only? Are there different views of salvation proposed in Christianity? What will happen to those that are not Christians and/or without the gospel?

There are 5 main views that Christians hold to concerning the fate of the people on this earth:

View 1

Every person is accountable for his sins, and unless he has personally accepted Jesus Christ as his savior, he will go to Hell and be punished for those sins.

View 2

Personal acceptance of Jesus Christ is essential for a person to have his sins forgiven. If a person is seeking (living up to the light that he has) God will then send a Christian to him.

View 3

Same as view 2, except if there are no Christians available, God will send the gospel message to the seeker via a "supernatural" method (i.e. an angel or a voice from Heaven, etc.).

View 4

If a person "lives up to the light he has," God will allow him into Heaven. Personal acceptance of Jesus Christ is not essential for the person who has never heard the gospel.

View 5

Every person who has not heard the gospel will be allowed into Heaven. Personal acceptance of Jesus Christ is not essential for the person who has never heard the gospel.

* being saved from something, such as suffering or the punishment of sin - also called deliverance;
* being saved for something, such as an afterlife or participating in the Reign of God - also called redemption;
* being saved through a process of healing or transformation to wholeness, such as gaining secret knowledge, being deified or becoming Christlike.

Salvation can also be understood in terms of social liberation, as in liberation theology.

The theological study of salvation is called Soteriology and also covers the means by which salvation is effected or achieved, and its results or effects. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvation

Examples: Salvation Passages in Christian Scriptures (excerpt)

The New Testament contains 138 verses that, in English translation, use the words "salvation" (45), "save" (41) or "saved" (52). The following are some of the New Testament passages most cited in this regard. Interpretation of them varies.

* Belief in Jesus: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts ...

Solution Summary

This solution includes five Christian views about salvation, of which two views explain what happens to those that are not Christians and/or without the gospel and whether or not Christians think that Heaven is for Christians only. To further explore salvation from a Christian perspective, this solution defines salvation from a theological perspective and then provides numerous salvation passages from Christian Scripture.